Which of this two topology variants looks better to you?
I don't think the topology needs to be overly complicated. I would go for something like this: 


I would also consider this being generous with poly count because this is a shape that can be smoothed with surface subdivision so there is probably no real need to have it very dense. 

If I buy a model I am certainly not looking for complicated topology as in the examples, but I want to be able to edit it quickly(I don't want to do anything with it ideally, but I like to see the possibility, if I ever need to edit it) meaning I want loop and ring selection and manipulation tools to work. This way I can select edge rings, checker deselect every other one and multi select loops and dissolve them if I want lower resolution, or just to use Subsurf modifier to make it smoother. It's also easier to modify shapes and forms this way and create/recreate some specific UV maps if I happen to need something different than what comes with the model.